What I Saw at the Devastation

A mother's worries, the media's heroism--and a city at its best.

By
Peggy Noonan

Updated Sept. 13, 2001 11:59 pm ET

This, for me, is the unforgettable image of the day: the fine gray ash that covered everything downtown, all the people and buildings and cars; the ash that flew into the air in the explosions and the burning and that settled over half the city. It was just like Pompeii, which also was taken by surprise and also was left covered top to bottom with ash, fine gray ash.

This is what everyone in New York says, sooner or later, when they talk about what happened: "It was such a beautiful day. It was the most beautiful day of...